Posts Tagged Nancy Pelosi

House Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi is not a happy camper. Steve Kroft, veteran CBS News “60 Minutes” correspondent, attended Leader Pelosi’s news conference when she refused to grant his request for a one on one interview. Kroft was eager to hear Leader Pelosi’s response to allegations in last Sunday’s “60 Minutes” broadcast that she and her husband received windfall profits from an IPO investment in credit card giant Visa while legislation affecting the credit card industry was making its way through the House of Representatives. According to Kroft’s report, Leader Pelosi was Speaker of the House when the transaction occurred in March of 2008.

The exchange went something like this:

Kroft: Madam Leader, I wanted to ask you why you and your husband back in March of 2008 accepted and participated in a very large IPO deal from Visa at a time there was major legislation affecting the credit card companies making its way through the —through the House.

Nancy Pelosi: But —

Kroft: And did you consider that to be a conflict of interest?

Pelosi: The — I — I don’t know what your point is of your question. Is there some point that you want to make with that?

Kroft: Well, I — I guess what I’m asking is do you think it’s all right for a speaker to accept a very preferential, favorable stock deal?

Pelosi: Well, we didn’t.

Kroft: You participated in the IPO. And at the time you were the speaker of the House. You don’t think it was a conflict of interest or had the appearance–

Pelosi: No, it was not —

Kroft: — of a conflict of interest?

Pelosi: —it doesn’t — it only has appearance if you decide that you’re going to have — elaborate on a false premise. But it — it — it’s not true and that’s that.

Kroft: I don’t understand what part’s not true.

Pelosi: Yes sir. That — that I would act upon an investment.

Leader Pelosi’s office responded in a separate swipe at Kroft and “60 Minutes” this past Monday, saying that “Congress has never done more for consumers nor has the Congress passed more critical reforms of the credit card industry than under the Speakership of Nancy Pelosi.”

The IPO or initial public offering, was offered to then Speaker Pelosi’s husband by his broker, Wells Fargo Shareholder Services, on “a limited basis to institutional investors and a group of specially selected individuals” at $44 per share. Leader Pelosi and her husband bought 5000 shares. Within a day or two, the stock shot up to $64 per share, yielding a tidy profit. The stock trades somewhere north of $93 today. It is estimated that the Pelosi’s currently own 19,000 shares of Visa stock.

Dreadmonger contacted Minority Leader Pelosi’s office for a comment about “specially selected individuals” but, thus far, they have not returned our calls.

The two have submitted a proposal to President Obama requesting that South Carolina be grounded for a period of not less than thirty days. The two political leaders have expressed differing concerns about what they see as the state’s continuing defiance of federal statutes.

In an interview on CNBC’ with Maria Bartiromo yesterday, Leader Pelosi was especially critical of the right-to-work state’s support of Boeing in their efforts to operate a non-unionized aerospace manufacturing facility in Charleston, SC.

When Ms. Bartiromo asked Leader Pelosi,”Do you think it’s right that Boeing has to close down that plant in South Carolina because it’s non union?”

Ms. Pelosi’s quick answer was “yes.”

Ms. Pelosi went on to say that she preferred the plant would unionize, but, if it did not, the National Labor Relations Board would be correct in shutting down the manufacturing facility where Boeing plans to build its new Dreamliner aircraft. Boeing is currently defending a lawsuit filed by the NLRB on the issue.

Separately, Attorney General Eric Holder’s Justice Department filed a lawsuit yesterday to stop South Carolina’s stringent new immigration law, arguing that the legislation that requires law officers to check suspects’ immigration status is unconstitutional. Governor Nikki Haley was also named in that lawsuit.

Meeting together late Monday evening, Attorney General Holder and Leader Pelosi drafted a proposal to the White House for an executive order to ground South Carolina for a minimum period of 30 days.

“We see the state, and Governor Haley, behaving like children,” said Leader Pelosi. “So, given that behavior, Attorney General Holder and I thought that it would be appropriate to ground the state for a month. You know, no TV, no going out in the evening or on week-ends with your friends, no X-Boxes or iPhones. That sort of thing.”

Attorney General Holder added, “We think that this proposed action also sends a message to states like Alabama and Arizona. We want to make sure our intent is clear. We are perfectly willing to take away their privileges as well if they don’t shape up.”

Dreadmonger has attempted to reach the White House for comment on the proposal but they have not returned our phone calls.

Dreadmonger Washington Bureau – The White House announced today that, in an effort to address anemic jobs performance and the overall lagging health of the U.S. economy, President Obama will embark on a 10-day “Speech-a-Thon”.

Speaking from the Press Briefing Room at the White House today, Jay Carney, White House Press Secretary, announced that President Obama will launch a 10-day, unbroken string of speeches beginning October 8 and concluding October 17.

“The speeches,” said Press Secretary Carney, “will consist of a series of presentations promoting the President’s American Jobs Act, various campaign speeches, town hall events, on-line events, basketball and golf game speeches, and speeches to his family during his ‘down’ time.”

“The President feels that we are in an urgent situation,” Mr. Carney said, “and that it is time to show his commitment to leading the nation by giving an unbroken, 10-day long round of speeches. The President will speak for the entire time with the exception of meals, bathroom breaks, and sleep. He will even give speeches during family dinners at home in the White House and during his golf and basketball games.”

Mr. Carney went on to say, “The President strongly feels that it is time to get to work. The American people are fed up with the bickering in Washington and the lack of definitive results. There is no action that leads to concrete resolution. So, the President is taking the bull by the horns and delivering his message directly to the American people via these speeches. We at the White House believe that this defines his strong leadership during this critical time in the nation’s history.”

When reporters from Dreadmonger asked if the President would be doing any policy work during the 10-day period, Mr. Carney responded, “These talks will cover a lot of policy issues and will spell out, in great detail, a lot of the groundwork that the President has laid on a host of issues that are vital to the American people.”

When Dreadmonger reporters pressed Mr. Carney about any actual executive activity, other than the speeches, that might occur during this period, Mr. Carney replied, “Look, the President’s staff, Vice President Biden, Valerie Jarrett, our colleagues in Congress like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, these people are all hard at work every day with their hands firmly on the switches of government. The President feels that his role at this important time is best served as Communicator-in-Chief.”

The proposed legislation which, according to Mr. Reid, has the enthusiastic support of President Obama, provides for a bank of “Perma-Stop” funds between $300B and $500B that would automatically be available to Congress for funding the operation of the government in order to avert a shut down.

“This initiative will provide Congress with readily accessible funds that will allow the government to continue to operate in times of crisis,” said Mr. Reid. “As we have seen in recent months, our Republican colleagues have demonstrated a willingness, or perhaps we should even say a desire, to delay budgetary approval and thereby allow the government to shut down.”

The Reid / Pelosi proposal would set up a Perma-Stop Bank which would be directly funded by the Federal Reserve Board. These funds would be available for release based upon the approval of the Senate Majority Leader whenever the government requires so-called “stop-gap” funding. The bank would be operated on a “min / max” system by the Federal Reseve: whenever funds reached the minimum $300B level, an additional $200B would be injected to return the fund to the maximum level of $500B.

“We see this,” continued Leader Reid, “as an eminently reasonable approach to the constant start / stop dance we have played in the past few months with our Republican colleagues. They seem to feel they can shut down the government whenever the mood strikes them. I would remind our colleagues that those decisions can delay the issuance of Social Security checks which millions of American seniors depend upon for their very existence.”

Minority Leader Pelosi told reporters, “We see this legislation as key to the elimination of the incessant brinksmanship of threatening a government shut-down. We think that Americans are tired of the constant bickering and threats that do nothing but add tension and rancor to the process of conducting the people’s business. We believe our proposal will entirely eliminate this particularly nasty tactic that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have shown to be all-to-willing to use. We think Americans will embrace our proposal to put an end to this nonsense.”

In conclusion, Mr. Reid added, “We think this legislation offers a simple and elegant solution to the persistent and unnecessary ploys and tactics that panic-inducing Republicans use to scare seniors. It’s time to stop this ‘fire drill’ mentality and get on with governing our nation.”

Dreadmonger will provide updates to the story as they become available.

“We are urging the President to ‘go big’ with his jobs plan,” said House of Representatives minority leader Nancy Pelosi. “He gave reference to his ‘Ginormous Plan’ on August 18th, and now, with his address to the joint session of Congress tomorrow evening, we are proposing that he put a specific number on that proposal: one bazillion dollars.”

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, as a follow-up to her appearance onMeet The Press this past Sunday where she said the President should propose “a program of a trillion dollars or more”, said that she has reconsidered and revised her proposal after consulting with Nobel prize winning economist Paul Krugman and Leader Pelosi.

“I think now that we should be talking about at least a bazillion dollars,” Congresswoman Waters said. “That’s more than a trillion, isn’t it?”

Paul Krugman, Nobel prize-winning economist and noted op-ed columnist for the New York Times, responded, “Yes, Congresswoman Waters, it is. But whether we are talking about a bazillion dollars or a gazillion dollars, the important thing is that the President go big. We need to increase the size and scope of our investment in jobs if we are to have a real impact on this economy.”

Dreadmonger reporters inquired as to where the money to fund such a program might come from.

Mr. Krugman responded, “Well, you know, interest rates are at historic lows right now so, we should be able to borrow it for close to zero per cent. With the cost of borrowing this low, it is silly not to take advantage of the opportunity to increase the size of the jobs program. And there is a crying need for infrastructure spending which puts idle construction workers back on the job. From an economist’s standpoint, it is the obvious solution to what has become a protracted and painful chapter in American life.”

When Dreadmonger reporters pointed out that “Jobs Program” is seen by some as a euphemism for “Stimulus”, Mr. Krugman said, “I have said repeatedly that the original recovery program was too modest. We need to ‘go big or go home’ as the saying goes. This is our chance to shock this arrested economy back to life.”

Reporters from Dreadmonger noted that the original recovery program has been judged by some of Mr. Krugman’s peers as being less than effective in creating new jobs.

“Well,” responded Mr. Krugman, “it just proves my point. This time, we need to go bigger.”

In response to criticisms leveled at the bi-partisan super committee that will convene this fall to address budget deficit concerns, President Obama said today that he will form an even more powerful group that he has dubbed the “Ginormous Committee.”

Speaking to reporters in an impromptu session this afternoon behind the livestock auction pavilion at the Illinois State Fair, President Obama said he plans to unveil the new committee as an adjunct to the super committee.

“All of our efforts to stimulate job creation and trim spending will be focused through this new extra super committee or, as I have termed it, the “Ginormous Committee’. We’re really getting most serious about this.” Obama said, offering his ‘most serious’ face (see photo).

During the recent GOP Presidential candidate debate, Newt Gingrich was particularly critical of the upcoming super committee saying, “I think this super committee is about as dumb an idea as Washington has come up with in my lifetime.”

In a slightly more grammatically correct statement issued later in the day, Ms. Pelosi said she hoped the committee would continue to work towards a “grand bargain,” which she has relabelled a “ginormous bargain’ echoing the President’s new moniker.

When reporters asked President Obama if the “Ginormous Committee” would be connected to his new jobs creation program, slated to roll out after the September 5th holiday, he replied, “We believe that the relationship between jobs and the deficit is palpable and substantive. So, as an effort to put forth a balanced plan, we see connections there, yes.”

When reporters from Dreadmonger asked if the President’s proposals will consist of the same things he has previously identified, namely, extending the payroll tax reduction, ratifying free trade bills, and passing patent reform legislation, the President replied, ” Those are in there, sure, along with some other new ideas that we are kicking around.”

When reporters pressed the President for more details on the new ideas, President Obama declined to further elaborate, saying “We still have a few details to iron out but, we really think the word ‘Ginormous’ gives you an idea of where we’re headed.”

Congress is away on vacation, the Republican party is off campaigning in Iowa, and President Obama will soon head out to Martha’s Vineyard for his summer break. Washington looks a lot like a ghost town these days.

So, the Capitol pages have a great idea: “Let’s party!”

It has been over 175 years since these young Americans first donned their signature blue blazers and entered into service to their country as Capitol messengers. A job as a Congressional page has been a badge of pride and honor and has often led its members on to successful careers in the world of politics.

But soon the young pages will vanish from the US House of Representatives. The two culprits: budget cuts and improvements in technology.

“They waited until they were all out of Washington to tell us,” a spokesman for the pages told Dreadmonger. “Some junior level guy from the Congressional Office of Management and Budget gave us our pink slips. We’ve been outsourced to a Blackberry. Unbelievable!”

The letters sent to the pages were actually jointly signed by Speaker John Boehner and House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi. Concerns about the program’s costs and effectiveness in an age of instant communication via smartphone led the House leadership to their decision to eliminate the pages. It is likely that the controversy and scandal that has rocked the page program hasn’t helped much. Several Congressional members have been accused of being a little too close to their blue-coated assistants in recent years.

In an exclusive interview with Dreadmonger, Perry X, anonymous leader of the House pages, said, “So, this week-end, we are having the monster party of all time on the floor of the House. Mom and Dad are out-of-town so, the pages will rock!”

“There’s a wicked bar in the back room at the House. You can’t imagine how well-stocked this dog is. We’ll start hitting that baby hard some time Friday afternoon. And they have this great smoking room with a walk-in humidor stocked with real Cuban cigars. It will be epic.”

When reporters from Dreadmonger inquired as to how the pages planned to gain access to one of the nation’s most highly secured locations for a party, Perry just smiled.

“You know, with this ‘PS’ rumor floating around, we have found our ex-bosses to be… most accommodating.”

The “PS” Perry refers to is the legendary “Page Scrapbook”. The scrapbook is shrouded in Congressional myth and mystery and its existence has never been independently confirmed. According to legend, it is purported to contain a 175-year old collection of documents, photos, and in more recent years, videos cataloguing the day-to-day interface between pages and their Congressional counterparts. Perry refused Dreadmonger’s repeated requests to confirm the existence of the ‘PS’.

“Look, it’s all Washington urban myth,” Perry went on to say. “Nothing but political fantasy. Especially this latest fairy tale going around that there are certain articles of clothing that have made their way into the ‘PS’. Seriously, there is nothing to it at all.”

“She is working the caucus,” reported the source, “looking for a male member, so to speak, to initiate another scandal ala Anthony Weiner.”

The source went on to say, “She’s got to find something to take the focus off of the lack of progress on the economic front. You can only say ‘Jobs, jobs, jobs’ so many times, you know? That one’s starting to play kind of thin. And this ‘Tea Party Terrorist’ line hasn’t really taken off like we thought it would.”

Dreadmonger asked the source about David Wu, the recently resigned Democratic Congressman from Oregon. “Wu? Not happening. This guy in his tiger suit was just too weird for prime time. Creepy little guy was too much for Mr. & Mrs. America. He was in and out of the news cycle in about 2 nanoseconds.”

“Nancy hates Steny so, he would be a natural from her point of view,” the source went on to say. “But, hey, I don’t think Steny’s just waiting around to fall on his sword for the good of the party.”

“The sad truth is, Nancy wishes Anthony was still around,” the source said. “He was good for keeping the 24-hour news beast fed and he was a lot of fun, too. And Nancy liked him. He is actually a pretty funny guy, as you can imagine, and Nancy’s a hoot with all that ‘Crazy Eyes’ stuff. They used to do a routine together in the House cafeteria that was hilarious. Let’s get real, Weiner had reached rock star status and Nancy misses him, simple as that.”

Leader Pelosi was out on the stump this week campaigning for President Obama in her home district of San Francisco.

Once again today on the floor of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi made crazy eyes at the Representatives who held up their cell phone cameras. Dreadmonger has been closely following the story on Minority Leader Pelosi which has largely been ignored by major media outlets.

This afternoon, Leader Pelosi gave an address to Congress in response to remarks received from her colleagues about her recent comments about “life on planet earth”. She repeatedly paused throughout the speech to give her now-familiar “crazy eyes” stare to members of Congress who raised their cell phone cameras.

Members of the House were literally rolling in the aisles with laughter by the end of Ms. Pelosi’s address. Several members have speculated that Ms. Pelosi is developing a stand up comedy act that she will launch later this year. Pelosi has reportedly been evaluating her options since losing the Speakership of the House as a result of the defeat of the Democrat-controlled House last November. Many members have encouraged Pelosi to pursue comedy full-time. One Congressman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said today that, “Nancy is a riot. She keeps the House in stitches – she is a natural comedienne. A lot of people don’t get her stuff, it’s too oblique. She is like the Andy Kaufman of the House. Seriously, she should be on SNL or something.”

Additional rumors within the beltway have Ms. Pelosi working on a book project. A compilation of Pelosi Tweets called “Tweets from Crazy Eyes’ Suite” is said to be in pre-production talks at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Our anonymous Congressman was quoted as saying, “Nancy’s Tweets are off the hook. I have to be careful where I read them. She’s seriously wack.”

Ms. Pelosi would not respond to repeated requests for comment. Dreadmonger will continue to provide updates to this story.

President Obama opened the Twitter floodgates today in an effort to rally support for his bid to pressure Congress to get it together and solve the debt ceiling crisis adventure. The President’s staff tweeted out the Twitter names of all US Republican Congressional representatives – all of them – one by one – to everyone who follows the President. This regardless of the Representative‘s state of residence. So, the lucky recipients got LOTS of addresses that had no relationship whatsoever to their state’s representative. Cool!

Tech savvy Americans responded heartily to the President’s reach-out by bailing on him. 37,000 so far (still counting…) have pulled the plug on the President’s Twitter account.

Meanwhile, back in the House, Nancy Pelosi quoted Dreadmonger’s post from this past Friday, July 22. 2011, declaring an “end to life as we know it on Planet earth.” She once again made crazy eyes to all the cell phone cameras in the House chamber as an added treat for her Congressional colleagues.

Debt ceiling talks between President Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner broke down today signaling the end of life on planet earth as we now know it. President Obama identified Boehner as the ” anti-Christ” and the Republican party as a whole as “less than human troglodytes”. For his part, Speaker Boehner responded by labeling President Obama “the Lord Voldemort of our time, economically speaking”. Boehner went on to praise the new Harry Potter movie and began to tear up as he reminded reporters once again that he has “every first edition of every Harry Potter book” in his home library.

Asked to comment on the debt ceiling crisis, House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi cursed, spat, and sputtered in indignation while making crazy eyes at cell phone cameras around the room.

Meanwhile in the Senate, Minority leader Mitch McConnell continued his game of pinocle with Senate majority leader Harry Reid. Reid mumbled something that reporters could not understand and raised his silver-handled cane in defiance as journalists pressed him for a response.

Unconfirmed rumors circulated within the beltway today that former President Jimmy Carter was being called in to negotiate a truce between the two hostile camps. Reached for comment at his Georgia farm, former President Carter smiled broadly and said that the peanut crop this year was below par but he was confident that next year’s crop would be “a good ‘un”.